1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to a electrical computers and more particularly to a modular tablet computer system for providing access to a communications network.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common for computer industry pundits to invoke the phrase "ubiquitous computing". Such predictions involve a paradigm where computer use is, at least in a consumer's mind, equivalent to and no less common than telephone or television use. The image of a computer as a common home "appliance" has driven a multitude of marketing campaigns, but computers have yet to be as accepted into consumers' kitchens and living rooms as appliances. Even standard laptop computers fail to satisfy the convenience and usability requirements of a large majority of consumers. Likewise, television-based computing solutions have not yet overcome the inertia surrounding the television's role as a passive entertainment device.
Among the problems with prior attempts to introduce a computer "appliance" are cost, form factor/configuration issues, reliability, complexity, and application choices. Computers have traditionally been priced for a market segment seeking high performance and extensive hardware and software features. For example, desktop computer prices have only recently fallen below the $1000 mark, and such prices often do not include all necessary hardware, such as a monitor, or software, such as word-processing or personal finance applications. As such, need exists to provide a low-cost computer solution that satisfies a specific "appliance"-like need for consumers.
Significant problems with many current computer offerings include unwieldy system configurations and inconvenient, uncomfortable form factors, which may be defined as the size, shape, weight, and other physical features in the user-oriented portion of the computer system. Desktop computers are typically heavy multi-unit, cable-connected systems that occupy a significant portion of a desktop. Likewise, even laptop computers typically require a flat and steady support surface and cables for connecting to a telephone line, a printer, an external monitor, a full-size keyboard, or a mouse. Such approaches to extensibility, modularity, and interconnectivity sacrifice the convenience and mobility desirable in a home or office computer appliance. Consequently, a need exists for system configurations and form factors that overcome these limitations. Preferably, such devices are highly mobile and ergonomically designed to be operated on users' laps or other variable work surfaces.
Reliability is crucial to a computer's acceptance as a home appliance. For instance, refrigerators and telephones typically perform reliably for years with little or no maintenance. In contrast, computers are famous for "crashing", for difficult installations and repairs, and for immediate obsolescence. Furthermore, replacing or upgrading a computer is typically an expensive and time-consuming proposition. Moreover, even less robust appliances, like toasters, are priced to make replacement of the entire appliance a reasonable resolution to a maintenance problem. As such, a need exists for a computer appliance that limits reliability problems, allows simple, inexpensive, and reliable upgrades, and contains low-cost components to allow cost-effective replacement of the system and/or components when necessary.
Complexity issues concerning a computer appliance are also associated with reliability. Modern personal computers typically boast various upgradable hardware and software features that may require considerable effort by the consumer to implement. The costs of such extensibility include incompatibilities among hardware and software components, improper installations, and user frustration. Accordingly, a need exists for a computer appliance that performs its function and provides extensibility with minimal consumer involvement.
Part of the tension between the computer appliance concept and the current computer paradigm is caused by the traditional notion of having a computer be everything a user could want, including, for example, a business computing platform, a personal finance platform, a word processing platform, a graphics and design platform, a 3-D gaming platform, and so on. Such breadth of application amplifies each of the previously discussed problems. System features required to perform one set of functions are often unnecessary to perform another set of functions. In contrast, the appliance concept avoids such an expansive purpose for computer appliance use. Computer appliances may be designed to perform a focused set of functions with simplicity, reliability, and convenience at a reasonable cost. As such, a need exists for a computer appliance satisfying a common and focused set of consumer needs.